Monday Motivation & Why to Ditch it

Monday Motivation is officially a con and I’m here to talk about how starting your fitness goals on any other day can get you just as good results!

Now I know this sounds negative and do bear with me. It’s a hard one to get your head around because the fitness world continually tells us:

MONDAY MOTIVATION

NEW WEEK, NEW GOALS

LET’S DO THIS

… etc

But honestly, can we all calm down a minute. I’ve never heard anyone successfully start a diet on a Monday. No one sticks to fitness goals they set on a Monday. Just like no-ones running back from work to jump in bed with your other half on a Monday. Not wanting sex on a Monday doesn’t mean you don’t love your partner; its just not a very sexy day and gym motivation is a bit like sex. Its good for you, it releases endorphins, you get hot and sweaty, and you need to rehydrate afterwards. Can we be bothered….?

But I believe there are a few reasons we can ditch #motivationmonday and how we can start our workout week on a different day and enjoy it!

The Failure of Motivation Monday

If you’ve been telling yourself your going to start on Monday, you wait all week, put it off on the weekend and then something happens (your kids need picking up from ballet, you get stuck at work, the dog, family emergency etc.), and you don’t get to the gym, you’re going to feel like a failure. You’ll probably internally use the words…

“I FAILED”

…this is just not right. Life just got in the way. But the stupid Monday rule will probably mean you wouldn’t try again tomorrow. Plus, you’ve just made yourself feel terrible, which you don’t deserve. You survived Monday. You should be saying…

“YOU DID IT; YOU BLOODY DID IT”

Believe it or not just as many calories get burnt on a Tuesday. Just as much muscle can be built and there a few other plus points too. Keep reading!

Busy Stinking Gym on a Motivation Monday

Whether you go to a commercial gym or a more local one because of #Mondaymotivation, the gym will be BLOODY packed! Full of stinking testosterone, clogged up running machines and cramped classes. I find a busy gym overwhelming and feel it’s a reason so many of us never go back.

Well, go to the gym on a Tuesday. The class will be half full, you’ll be able to pick what piece of equipment you want, and you’ll be able to breathe a bit more. Plus, with less pressure, it means you might even make it back a few more times that week. Other quieter gym times seem to be Wednesdays, Friday evening and Sundays.

Remember it’s your free time, choose when suits you, find out when your gym has its quiet periods and take advantage of them. If you have an online booking system for classes, you can often gauge how many people have already booked onto each class. Otherwise, give the gym a ring, trainers are much less intimidating than they look and want you to feel comfortable and happy in the gym. They may suggest a quiet time to train or even run you through a free gym induction to get you settled.

SELF-CARE

The gym is not the most critical part of your life. If you’re like me, you put other pressures on yourself every Monday.

For example,

6 am – Walk pooches

7.30 am – Long day at work

5 pm- Walk pooches again

6 pm – The dreaded big food shop for the week

7 pm – Prep our healthy lunches.

If I try and squeeze one more thing into the day, there is a good possibility I will break down in tears. Monday is a very high pressured day. Be kind to yourself. You may want to watch a few hours of the telly and if you do that is fine.

Just set a clear goal for when you’re free and pick a day you’re confident you can stick too.

Tips to Concur Motivation Monday

It is correct that you’re more likely to succeed if you plan when you’re going to work out instead of just “winging it”. Scheduling your workouts can be as simple as booking the classes a week in advance, colouring the days in on a calendar that you’re free or using a free app such as the Nike Training App.

Fitness apps will schedule workouts for you and remind you what you have coming up throughout the week.

This clean wipe planner from Doodlelove is perfect for planning your workouts week by week or month by month if you’re feeling super organised. Plus you can see how far you’ve come and how much you have achieved if you cross each one off. The wipe clean element also helps you amend your plan because life can get in the way…

BENEFITS

The benefits of setting yourself more realistic, thoughtful and self-care routines are, a few weeks or months into your routine popping out to the gym will seem completely natural. Not laboured and without thinking about it, you may feel more able to go to the gym on a Monday. But this time because that’s what has suited you that week.

If we can work out because we love ourselves not because we hate our bodies, then the whole conversation we use to surround the gym and exercise will change. Positivity in the gym is where I want us all to be!

Thank you so much for listening to me and hopefully helping you feel more confident, happy and able to set yourself a fitness goal that is both realistic and sustainable.

I wasn’t always confident in the gym and its taken me a long time to get to where I am now. If you would like to know more about my journey go to my blog post I workout because… to find out more.